By Eric Gillard
The Daily Press
RUSHMERE, Va. — The ailing economy has put a dent in the pocketbooks of many people, as well as volunteer fire departments and rescue squads.
“Donations seem to be going down a little bit,” said Brandon Jennings, the chief of the Rushmere Volunteer Fire Department. “We’re dependent on a lot of donations.”
The donations can help supplement a department’s budget, in addition to the funding received from the county and respective towns.
Most of the money given by residents goes into training, purchasing equipment and uniforms. But when people are tightening their budgets and scrutinizing every expense, it can affect how much they contribute to their local fire and rescue services.
The decline in donations isn’t hurting services, but it makes departments more careful about their expenses.
“It does limit what kind of equipment we can buy,” Jennings said.
The Rushmere department, which is at the northern tip of Isle of Wight, holds a fundraiser every month to solicit donations.
“We’ve always depended very much on donations,” said Joel Acree, chief of the Carrollton Volunteer Fire Department, which is at the eastern portion of the county. “The cost of (firefighting) is increasing.”
Acree’s department gets its funding from the county, state grants and “about 40 percent” from private donations, he said.
The Carrollton fire department uses donations for day-to-day operations, as well as gear and equipment that are not eligible to be bought with state grants, he said.
County fire departments solicit private donations via various fundraisers, from Christmas tree sales to benefit dinners.
“We’ve stepped up fundraising events” to address the decrease in donations, Acree said. His department holds monthly bluegrass concerts and semi-annual barbecues for fundraisers at the station. Acree said the department never asks for donations over the phone or door-to-door and “we’ve never asked to county for 100 percent funding,” he said.
Other departments aren’t getting the support they used to get either.
“We’ve seen a little decrease in donations,” said Devin Butler, the deputy chief of the Carrsville Volunteer Fire Department, which is in the southern portion of the county.
“We don’t get big donations anymore,” he said. “We’re very fortunate to have a very generous Board of Supervisors.”
His department, like others, holds fundraisers throughout the year, including one in November around Thanksgiving.
“With the economy like it is, people aren’t donating,” he said.
Rusty Chase, the emergency services coordinator for Isle of Wight, understands the belt-tightening by residents, but wishes that more people would give.
“Volunteers are very, very important to the county and across the board,” he said. “We got to take care of one another.”
Copyright 2009 Daily Press, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.